Hat Yai’s Flood Crisis Spurs Mud Cleanup, Soaring Fares and Political Backlash

A week of unrelenting rain has submerged large swathes of Hat Yai and nearby districts, leaving farmers, shopkeepers and factory workers mopping up ankle-deep mud even as politicians argue over who is to blame. While floodwaters are slowly receding, questions about the government’s crisis management, its impact on the South’s political mood, and the price of plane tickets to Songkhla are only now cresting.

Rising Water, Rising Tension

For residents along the U-Tapao Canal the disaster felt painfully familiar. Seasonal storms have inundated the commercial hub of Songkhla many times over the past decade, but locals say last week’s deluge was the worst since 2010. Drainage pumps failed when electricity supplies flickered, roads turned into rivers within hours and small community clinics ran short of medicine. By the time emergency teams arrived, more than 20 000 households had reported property damage. The administration insists its early-warning texts and pre-positioned boats lowered the human toll, yet volunteers in Ban Phru, Kho Hong and Khuan Lang argue that rescue crews were thin on the ground during the crucial first night.

Poll Numbers Slide Southward

Political aftershocks travelled almost as fast as the storm runoff. A fresh Nida Poll released mid-week shows support for Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul tumbling nearly ten points among voters in the lower South, a region normally viewed as a Bhumjaithai bulwark. Even more striking, the survey detected a rise in the number of undecided voters who say they are weighing “new options” before the next general election. Analysts caution that snapshots taken in the middle of a disaster often exaggerate swings, but backbench MPs from Phatthalung and Trang are already urging the party leadership to “listen more and talk less.”

Cabinet Goes on the Offensive

Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Zarum, dispatched to speak on behalf of the administration, offered a blunt rebuttal. He called the polling dip a “momentary ripple,” insisted the coalition has “nothing to fear from numbers” and pointed to daily sorties by helicopter that have ferried Mr Anutin to relief centres from Hat Yai to Sadao. Sophon warned of social-media actors mixing drone footage from past floods with current images to “feed the perception of neglect.” He said the real challenge was not online criticism but preventing a post-flood public-health crisis once mosquitoes breed in stagnant pools.

Opposition Opts for Measured Critique

Across the aisle, Pheu Thai leader Julapun Amornvivat dialled down earlier threats to initiate a no-confidence debate the moment Parliament reopens. While maintaining the right to scrutinise procurement of relief funds, Julapun acknowledged that “endless arguing on the House floor will not pump water out of people’s homes.” Still, he drew attention to what he called exorbitant airfares between Bangkok and Hat Yai, saying price surges of more than 40 % during the height of the emergency stranded migrant workers desperate to return and assist relatives. The Civil Aviation Authority promised to review airline slot allocations but has yet to announce concrete penalties.

Economic Bruises Behind Closed Shopfronts

Beyond politics, the cost of the disaster is mounting. Preliminary estimates from the Federation of Thai Industries – Songkhla Chapter put direct business losses at 5 B baht, with electronics assembly lines particularly hard hit. Rubber exporters fear shipment delays could push some clients toward Malaysian suppliers. Local tourism operators, who had banked on an early high-season rebound, now face cancellations from Malaysian weekend shoppers reluctant to navigate flooded arterial roads. Economists at Kasikorn Research calculate the regional economy will shed at least 0.2 percentage points of Gross Provincial Product unless reconstruction funds reach small enterprises quickly.

What Comes Next for the Deep South

With weather forecasters predicting another burst of heavy rain within ten days, authorities are racing to clear debris from drainage grids and restore the berms along the Sadao–Padang Besar rail line. The Interior Ministry says 2 B baht from the central disaster kitty is already earmarked for rebuilding schools and local clinics. Yet community leaders insist sustainable protection requires investment in a long-stalled retention-pond network that would give overflow water somewhere to go before it hits the city centre.

Reading the Political Barometer

Even if the deluge subsides and life returns to normal, the episode could reshape southern politics. The South has long voted as a bloc, but anger at slow relief and at airline price spikes could fuel an appetite for new faces in the next poll. Whether that impatience translates into lasting realignment will depend on how swiftly the government can turn promises of compensation into cash in farmers’ bank accounts—and whether Bhumjaithai’s ground game can outpace voter fatigue. For now, flood victims are less interested in survey percentages than in clean tap water and functioning drainage, yet the numbers hint at a warning few in Government House can afford to ignore.